Oggis Colossus Strong Ale

Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Del Mar, California USA

Draught. Body is hazy dark amber. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, caramel), moderately hoppy (flowers, grapefruit), lightly yeasty (dough), with notes of apricot and alcohol. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, heavily bitter. Medium to full body, creamy and velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Wow, some malt actually comes through over the big hops in the aroma, I can't believe it. That would explain the relatively low score here, I suppose. Pretty well-behaved at 15%.

Big, big beer but well hidden 15.1 %. I had this one first at the strong ale festival to kick it off, and even then I was not overwhelmed by alcohol. Flavor is standard American barley wine.

Dark, inviting burgundy-ruby color. Chewy and thick. Very intense, whiskey-like nose. Strong alcohol notes throughout. Though, not as alcoholic as one would think at 15.1%, damn! Sweet and sticky, with licorice notes. Hops take the back seat and keep quiet (add dryness in the finish). Some astringency. Very warming.

The words "wicked" and "wow" both come to mind when drinking this one. Thr aroma is very alcoholic and somewhat hoppy and malty...but very subdued behind the alcohol. It pours a magenta color with basically no head..what was there disappeared qucikly. The taste is very alcoholic, with heavy emphasis on the resiny oak, and malty flavors found in there ending in a mildly burning yet somehow sweet aftertaste. Im still trying to figure out how they got a 15.1% to end sweet, but i am nonetheless only mildly impressed here. Its definitely only a special occassions beer. Very tart and dry, extremely wicked on the palate, not for the lay drinker. I’ll need a designated driver if i hope to try this again.

Resinous and vaguely salty with notes of cough syrup, candy, partical board, dry snow. A bit on the syrupy side

Honey, stink, garbage, cheesey, brutal, ugly, gnarly. An ugly friend.

One of my favorites from the Strong Ale Fest ’02. Cask conditioned and HUGE! Copper colored. Huge hop nose and taste.An excellent beer.

tubes full of hoppy freshness lubing its way to grassy exctasy..clouds of creaminess bombarded with hop resin and cherries...the color was a deep dark maroonish purple infused amber and thick latherness kept around (except the cask version had no head)..stickiness and hoppiness danced with eachother as the thickness grew..the alcohol hid but we could all feel the warmth...it all sang spicy with oak notes..and we all went insane...(Note: cask version showed much more alcohol in the flavor..but it was still a nice sipper.